On the snow-covered field, Liyang City ushered in the first sunny day after the first heavy snowfall.

The common people of Liyang finally have a rare joy. Originally, everyone was going to go into battle to kill the enemy, but it passed by. A heavy snowfall has deeply covered the wheat fields that have dried up after a long time, and people have seen that a big ripening year is just around the corner.

After more than two months of jingling in the city, the children of the old Qin people were replaced with sharp new spears and new swords. It seems that the heavens have begun to think of the Qin State again, otherwise, why would these emergencies and dangers pass with their breath?

The Chinese people are excited and fresh to see the sunshine after the snow. Before the government could give the order, everyone went out of the house with a broom and shovel in hand to clear the snow and clear the road. The streets and alleys are filled with snowmen with red noses and blue eyes, attracting children to sing and dance around the snowmen for snowball fights.

The most conspicuous thing is the two huge snowmen piled up by the snowsweepers at the east gate of Liyang City, about three feet high, holding spears in their hands, majestic like gods. The snowman was erected, attracting a frenzied cheer of "Long live Lao Qin" at the gate of the city.

At this time, the leader of the city gate defenders shouted: "Pedestrians dodge, hurry up and get out of the city!" "As the cheering crowd broke away, a black horse flew out of the city gate and over the drawbridge." One ride! "Another ride!" "There's one more ride!" "No, there's more!" People were surprised to find that more than 30 envoys on fast horses flew out of the east gate in an endless stream within half an hour.

A melancholy color suddenly appeared on the cheerful faces of the people of Liyang. For many years, the old Qin people were very familiar with fighting but also very sensitive, and when they saw this extraordinary fast horse, they immediately realized that danger was approaching them again, and the people who gathered together began to evacuate silently.

At this time, the leader of the defenders shouted again: "The government has ordered it——! "People saw Liyang Lingzi'an striding with three scribes." It's time to recruit strong men again, collect grain and grass, let's see how it will be distributed? Someone in the crowd whispered eagerly to a literate man in a long robe. The literate man in the long shirt said coldly: "If you levy it again, there will only be human flesh." The shouter booed, "Don't talk nonsense, look." ”

Liyang ordered Zi'an to order the scribe in a loud voice: "Zhang hangs up, a little higher." The scribe stood on a boulder and hung a proclamation written on a parchment. Zi'an said loudly: "Fathers, who can read? I came out and read it. Let's go to the South Gate. ”

People gathered around in an uproar, and the literate people in the long shirts were pushed out by the shouters and shouted: "Read, read to the blind who are open and blind." The literate man in the long shirt looked up at the proclamation, but was silent for a long time. The crowd was silent, and a dark cloud visibly hung over people's faces. The shouter couldn't help but shout: "What are you afraid of? Remember, it's still the big bloody battle, bird! ”

The literate man in the long shirt shook his head, his face twitching in surprise, and he began to cry with a whimper. The yeller scolded: "Crying bird! Are you still an old Qin person? Go, don't listen, go home and fry cakes, and fight tomorrow! ”

People dispersed silently. The literate man in the caftan suddenly woke up and hissed, "Come back!" Come back! Meddlesome! I'll read it! "People are hesitant to re-encircle. The shouter scolded: "Birds! The battle can't be fought, and there are good things? Read! ”

The literate man in the long shirt wiped his snot and tears, and said loudly: "This is the king's order to seek talents, that is, to search for talents and strengthen the Qin State!" It is written like this: Whoever can make a surprise plan to strengthen Qin, I will make him a high-ranking official and share the land wealth of Qin with him! If you can recommend talents, there will also be a big reward! ”

The crowd was stunned for a moment, but it suddenly exploded, shouting like thunder: "Okay——! "Long live the Duke of Qin——!"

The old people actually shed tears, nodded to each other and sighed: "That's right, that's right." ”

"Gong Qin woke up, he should have changed a long time ago. Why don't we take off these torn pants? ”

The shouter pulled the literate man in a long shirt and left, "Bird! Our old Qin people also have great talents. I recommend you to be a big official, and I also have a bunch of bounties! Let's go, why are you stunned? ”

The literate man in the long shirt gave up his hand in fear, "Brother, don't mess around." That great sage is waiting for leisure! I haven't even finished reading a basket of books, I can't be a scribe, and I'm still a big official? The shouter said eagerly: "Bird! Why don't you find one out of the way? ”

"I think you can do it!" Someone shouted.

"Birds! What can I do? The shouter laughed and scolded.

"Teach women! How to beat an old wife three times a day? ”

Everyone burst into laughter, and the shouters chased after the "recommender" while scolding, and the city gate became lively again.

In the laughter of the old Qin people, the fast horse envoys of the Qin State were like meteors, going north to Jiuyuan, east to Hangu, south to Wuguan, and scattered to the six major warstates and more than 30 small and medium-sized vassal states in the world. Based on the Qin people, who had migrated to various countries for hundreds of years, they secretly disseminated Qin Xiaogong's order to seek merit in various forms. Within a few months, the news of Qin's thirst for talent spread among the scholars in the cities and countryside, and it became more exciting news than the recruitment of scholars in the Jixia Academy of Qi State.

The difference here is that the Jixia Academy of Qi is designed to promote Wenhua, although it is not excluded that individual scholars of the palace will become officials, but its mainstream is after all to govern learning, and what is required of the scholars is yellow scrolls and green lights, self-cultivation and self-encouragement, and article morality.

And the Qin State straightforwardly invited the scholars to be officials, to strengthen Qin, to make meritorious contributions, to become generals, to be famous all over the world, and to glorify the ancestors! In contrast, how can you not thrill the scholars?

Because of this, the vast majority of scholars who went to the Qi Guoji School Palace belonged to scholars who were interested in learning. At that time, almost all the sons of the hundred schools had representatives in the Jixia School Palace. Legalist Shendao, Confucian Mencius, Confucianism and law combined Xunzi, famous Hui Shi and Gongsun Long, debater Tian Piao, vertical and horizontal Lu Zhonglian and Zhuang Xin, Yin and Yang Zou Yan, Taoist Song and Yin Wen, farmer Xu Xing and so on.

However, pure scholarship has never been the mainstream spirit of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period. Since the emergence of the "scholar" class, his mainstream spirit has been to apply it to the world, that is, to enter the WTO with knowledge and strive for success, and to make contributions with talents.

Confucius was a straightforward old stubborn, and he said many honest things that embarrassed future generations, such as "only villains and women are difficult to raise, those who are close are not inferior, and those who are far away are resentful" and so on. It is this stubborn old man who loves to speak unpleasantly words, and calls the spirit of the scholars "learning and excelling, then the scholars" - excellent scholars should be officials!

This was the unconcealed public declaration and lifelong pursuit of the scholar class at that time, and the goal after becoming an official was by no means ambiguous, called "governing the country, self-cultivation, and leveling the world", that is, to do something for the world. It is precisely this kind of frank, straightforward, and energetic spirit of joining the WTO that made the soldiers of the Warring States period regard direct serving as an official 10,000 times more important than lifelong study.

They are often forced to study and impart knowledge when they have no hope of entering the office, which is what later generations call "forcing heroes to become poets".

What's even more interesting is that even if you have no choice but to study, you will still be governed by the study of governing the country. Laozi, Confucius, Mozi, Zhuangzi, and Mencius were all university scholars who had no choice but to pursue official affairs, but established political classics in their studies. This spirit of scholars and doctors, which promotes and exalts each other, has been tempered by vicissitudes and has been thickly deposited in the souls of scholars, and as soon as there is a fire, it will explode.

Now, Qin Xiaogong's talent search order is a dazzling fire!

When this edict spread to Anyi secretly, it was March when the ice and snow melted.

At this time, Qin Feng also quietly came to Anyi. Because he is not at ease, he can only rest assured when he sees Wei Ying get the order to seek merit and go to the Qin State.

The Lingshan outside the city of Anyi is already the spring when the wheat seedlings have returned to green, the new sprouts of dead trees and the remnants of snow have turned into gurgling streams.

The cemetery of the uncle at the foot of the mountain also came out of the ice and snow cover, the pines and cypresses are verdant, and the mountain flowers are beginning to appear. The yellow withered grass in front of the tomb was also shaken green by the spring breeze in the haze.

At this moment, on the mountainside path opposite the cemetery, a girl wearing a red cloak walked on, which was particularly bright and dazzling in the early green of the mountains. The girl held an extremely delicate thin sword in her hand, with a long and beautiful figure, her long hair coiled into a high bun, and a turquoise hosta inserted horizontally in the middle, as if the head of the scholar had just been crowned, revealing an elegant bookish atmosphere.

When she saw the stone archway of her uncle's tomb from afar, she stood on the mountain road and thought quietly for a while, then looked down at her outfit, seemed to calm her mood, and continued to walk towards the cemetery.

The avenue in front of the stone archway was extremely deserted, and the foot knights of the Pang Juan faction here did not know how to disappear, and there was not a single sergeant under the archway.

The girl was obviously puzzled, and looked around as she walked, and finally saw more than a dozen soldiers who had been guarding the cemetery leaning against the corner of the barracks and basking in the sun. Seeing her come in, they raised their heads, and the old soldier asked hoarsely, "Are you looking for Wei Ying again?" ”

The girl smiled and nodded. A soldier exclaimed, "Look at the blessings of the guards, birds! The veteran head whispered, "Die!" He turned back and smiled: "Please go in, he has been guarding the stone house under the mausoleum all day." The girl nodded, and went straight in.

The hut a few feet away from the mausoleum was obviously crudely built, and it was difficult to tell whether it was a stone house or a thatched hut.

The walls were made of large stone slabs, the gaps were not filled, the roof was covered with a layer of thatch, which was not by any thickness by all, and the wooden doors were worn out. According to the funeral rites, this kind of mausoleum keeper's residence should be the simplest thatched hermitage hut to test and hone the great filial piety of the mausoleum keeper.

In the Warring States Period, funerals that were physically and mentally devastating and costly gradually faded, and all the etiquette related to funerals was simplified and adapted, and festival funerals became more and more common customs in the world. As a result, this mausoleum hut has become a thatched roof of stone slab walls that can neither be strict nor excessively transparent, and must be rough and simple, but also shelter from the wind and rain.